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Shirone

白根市
Shirone 白根市
Former municipality
	Flag Seal
	Location of Shirone in Niigata Prefecture
	Shirone Location in Japan
	Coordinates: 37°45′56.9″N 139°1′9″E / 37.765806°N 139.01917°E
Country	Japan
Region	Hokuriku
Prefecture	Niigata Prefecture
Merged	March 21, 2005; (now part of Niigata)
Area
• Total	77.06 km2 (29.75 sq mi)
Population (2005)
• Total	39,737
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
Symbols
Flower	Tulip

Shirone (白根市, Shirone-shi) was a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1959.

Population

As of 2003, the city had an estimated population of 39,966 and density of 518.63 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,343.2/sq mi). The total area was 77.06 km² (29.75 sq mi).

History

On March 21, 2005, Shirone, along with the cities of Niitsu and Toyosaka, the towns of Kameda, Kosudo and Yokogoshi (all from Nakakanbara District), the town of Nishikawa, and the villages of Ajikata, Iwamuro, Katahigashi, Nakanokuchi and Tsukigata (all from Nishikanbara District), was merged into the expanded city of Niigata.^[1] As of April 1, 2007, the area is now part of Minami-ku ward.

Festivals

Kite festival

In June every year, Shirone hosts the week-long Giant Kite Festival (takomatsuri). Opposing teams formed by residents battle across the Nakanoguchi River using giants kites.

The kites are hand made and painted by the team members for the duration of the preceding year. Each kite measures about 7 m × 3 m (23.0 ft × 9.8 ft) and typically sports a portrait of a samurai, local figure, or mascot signifying the area or team sponsor. Each team lines their side of the river and runs the kite into flight.

Once airborne, the kites are carried by the wind and the hand-made lines are invariably tangled. This is due to the prevailing wind direction in June and the particular course of the river. The teams then engage in a tug of war until the ropes break—the winning team being the team that pulls over more of the opponent's rope.

References

^ 住民基本台帳人口移動報告年報 (in Japanese). 総務庁統計局. 2005. p. 139. 3月21日に白根市,豊栄市,小須戸町,横越町,亀田町,岩室村,西川町,味方村,潟東村,月潟村,中之口村及び新津市は新潟市に編入された。

External links

Niigata Minami-ku website (in Japanese)

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[1] 住民基本台帳人口移動報告年報 (in Japanese). 総務庁統計局. 2005. p. 139. 3月21日に白根市,豊栄市,小須戸町,横越町,亀田町,岩室村,西川町,味方村,潟東村,月潟村,中之口村及び新津市は新潟市に編入された。

Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	Japan